Ellmers: Disbanding of military airlift wing would be ‘unsafe’

After submitting four proposed amendments to the House Rules Committee on Thursday to make changes to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2016, U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) released a statement to speak out against the U.S. Air Force’s (USAF) plans to disband and deactivate the entire 440th Airlift Wing, which provided critical training at Fort Bragg for paratroopers, in Ellmers’ Second Congressional District.

“At a time when there is turmoil abroad, the decision to disband an airlift wing that provides essential training for some of our nation’s most unique and foremost rapid-deployment forces is not only unsound — it’s unsafe,” Ellmers, who serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said. “Recognizing this misguided decision, I have submitted four amendments to be considered before the Rules Committee that will prevent deactivation of the 440th Airlift Wing and provide the army with the input they deserve.”

The four amendments would prohibit the use of funds for deactivation of the 440th Airlift Wing, require that a study be completed by the Army to certify that deactivation of the 440th Airlift Wing will not affect military readiness, require the Secretary of Defense to certify that the decision to deactivate the 440th Airlift Wing will not impact military readiness and require the Joint Chiefs of Staff to certify that the decision to deactivate the 440th Airlift Wing not impact military readiness.

“I firmly believe there needs to be accountability for this short-sighted decision, which is why I submitted an amendment requiring the Secretary of Defense to certify that this proposal will, in fact, have no negative impact on training for paratroopers at Fort Bragg,” Ellmers said. Additionally, I believe it was a mistake that the Army was
not consulted by the Air Force in a thorough manner before this drastic
and senseless decision was made.